Americans throw away about 68 pounds of clothes on average each year!
Not only that, materials used to make clothes are environmentally toxic and use substantial amounts of energy and water.
If you are going to buy new clothes, here are some sustainable materials to look for:
- Cotton
- Hemp
- Bamboo
However, buying used (a/k/a recycled) clothing leaves an even smaller footprint!
The 12-15% of people who shopped consignment in 2006 saved 2.5 Billion pounds of clothes from waste!
How to Recycle Your Clothes:
- Sell them on eBay
- Consign them at a local consignment shop
- Have a yard sale
- Donate them to Goodwill or Salvation Army (or similar organization). Even if you clothing is worn or threadbare, they pass them on to organizations who can use them as rags, etc.
- Make something out of them or donate them to a diy-er! Make a quilt, handbag or anything else you can make out of fabric!
Just don't let your clothing end up in the dump! Pass it on....
(statistics from Tips for Recycling Clothes on earth911.com; also Facts About Clothes from the same website has more information about how clothing is made)
What do you do with the clothing you no longer want or need?
